Application of pfg NMR diffusometry to study diffusion and ionization phenomena in plasticized polymeric membranes doped with ionic liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) are increasingly used as promising organic solvents for a variety of applications, including electrochemical processes, novel separation techniques and innovative methods of synthesis, due to their low volatility, excellent solvation properties, high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability. Moreover, the tunable properties of ILs determined by their composition make them favorable candidates as dopants for composite and/or functional polymeric materials, e.g. in the membranes of chemical sensors. To effectively use ILs in polymeric materials and control the characteristics of the latter, one should develop a complete understanding of the properties of ILs in the polymeric phase, such as their diffusion and ionic behavior.In our previous work, we applied pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR technique to verify the results of a chronopotentiometric method conventionally used to determine the diffusion coefficients and electrolytic properties of electrolytes in plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membranes of chemical sensors. The results obtained with these two independent methods were in good agreement, confirming that PEG NMR diffusometry is a viable technique for assessing the diffusion properties of species even in highly viscous polymeric media of low polarity.Here we report a comprehensive study of the transport and ionic behavior of IL 1-hexyl-3-methyl-1H-imidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amide ([C6Meim][NTf2]) in a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix, performed in situ by means of PFG NMR diffusometry. A number of sets of spectra for the 1H and 19F nuclei of the [C6Meim][NTf2] ionic liquid in PVC membranes doped with the plasticizer bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate were registered at different amplitudes of the magnetic field gradient. The mobility of both individual ions of the IL and the formed ion associates was investigated over a broad range of IL concentrations in the PVC matrix; in addition, the ionization degree and dissociation constant of [C6Meim][NTf2] were determined and their dependence on the IL content was traced.